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Starfall: Chapter 23: Love, Loyalty, and Lies: Part Three

Lowering her ears, Vivian glances up at Mark's face. The vixen would be lying to herself if she said a part of he doesn't want to, refuses to believe what he's shown her.

They wouldn't do that to her if they got their way, would they? Shaking her head, the vixen dismisses that thought. She has more important things to think about right now.

Educated in the arts rather than logic and politics, even the vixen can understand what was shown to her was sound. The parallel's between the ideology from Mark's world and the one she considered herself a part of, up till she saw this, stands in stark daylight for her to see.

Moving to stand and stretch once off of Mark's lap, Vivian relaxes her ears, letting them stand back up and face forward. Turning to look back at him, she sighs. “Why now? Couldn't you have waited till after we go to my brother to show me this? It's kinda a lot to take in to be honest."

Mark notes the time using the tablet and gives a small smile.

Feeling a bit uneasy at the lack of a reply text from Nick and Judy, He rolls up the tablet, storing it in the concealed pocket of his outfit. “Because I needed you to understand who you were working for, and who I suspect the Skulk was going to give the tablet to. The ends of which they'll go to get what they want and what they'll do to those who helped them along the way."

Standing and stretching his legs for a second to ease their stiffness, he dons the suit-jacket and checks both concealed pockets out of habit for the just placed tablet and the plasma-stunner. “Your brother and sister-in-law should be back at their town-home by now."

“Right, we're going to go to their place. Give me a moment please." Vivian holds up a finger, then dashes into her bedroom.

The quickly vixen replaces her casual night clothes with something more appropriate for the longer walk they'll be doing in the cold. “Have they replied yet? They're not 'that' bad at replying to texts. Unless something 'really' bad happened, and they're to busy."

Returning wearing a sweater and a thicker pair of sweat pants, Vivian looks up at Mark as he shakes his head once.

“No, but considering how late it is, I am sure they're just tired. Getting the decoy and using that at your drop location can't wait till morning. So we better get moving before the last subway lines stop for the night."

Lowering her ears at the reminder of her current predicament, Vivian nods. Grabbing her keys, phone, and wallet, the vixen stuff them into the ample pockets of her current set of clothing. The main reason why she still has them.

Dressed and ready, she leads Mark out of her apartment. Staying close by him as they descend the stairs to the ground floor and only speaking up once they reach the ground floor.

“If we take the 'L' line, it should take us three blocks behind where they live." She offers a possible route while Mark opens the stairwell door to the lobby.

“With time of the essence, wouldn't that take us a bit longer? 'E' line's a stop away to the west of their complex." Using his longer stride to his advantage, Mark moves ahead. Opening the stairwell door to the lobby for the Vixen to go first.

Vivian though notices this is more of an action out of common curtsy rather than flirting from his body language. So she gives him an appreciative tail flick.

“Because the 'E' line stop is popular. Since it's popular, it's a hot spot for pick pockets and hustlers who're with the skulk. If I'm on their shit list, they'll have been told to look for me. 'L' line's less used. It's the last stop before that end of Happy-Town. The neighborhood has alleyways I know my way around so it won't take too long. It's also the best way to slip into where my brother lives without too much notice. How do you think I got in when the media were swarming the place the first day you were there?"

Letting the door close behind them, he nods. “Okay, makes sense when you put it that way. We'll just have to pick up the pace then."

Making his way over to the front doors of the apartment building, he again opens the door for the vixen and exits only after her. Once outside, Vivian settles into a light jog to keep up with Mark's fast walk. Both ignore the strange increase in vehicle traffic this time of night, and the decrease in foot traffic as they go.

“I can carry you as I jog there you know. No offense but you don't seem to weigh nearly as much as backpack's I've carried." Politely offering as they head down the block the opposite direction they went to the restaurant.

The vixen grunts as she's already starting to feel this impromptu workout in her legs. “And draw more attention than us trying to hurry somewhere? No."

Rounding the corner on a city block, both Human and Vixen skid to a stop. A small mammal car, big enough to hold Rabbits or Foxes, maybe a small wolf two. Screeches its tires, following them around the corner before hopping the curb and stopping in front of the two.

Mark instantly pulls Vivian behind himself, grabbing his plasma-stunner. Only to freeze in place when the driver's and both rear passenger doors of the vehicle open.

Vivian recognizes the Skulk enforcer from earlier, but not the other vulpine's with her. Mark's attention's instead instantly drawn to the small mammal sized Glock the enforcer has, then what he assumes similarly shrunken MP5's the others carry.

Recognizing he's out-gunned, he withdraws his hand from the plasma-stunner and raises them into the air.

“That's it. Keep those weird five fingered hands in the air where I can see them human, don't even think about trying anything." The Marble Vixen waves the glock between the human and the vixen she's after. Behind her, one of the other vulpine's walks behind the vehicle and to the passenger side. Throwing open the front passenger side door, then the joins the enforcer in aiming at the two of them.

“Alright, you're the mammal with the guns." Mark observes the three while replying with an edge of contained anger in his voice.

'The Marble vixen's a professional. She's holding her weapon correctly with the right amount of discipline. I have no doubt she'll shoot and not miss. The other two, they're amateurs. Thank God they have their safeties on, or their fingers on the triggers would've caused them to fire already. If they had to fire, I doubt they'll hit their target with how they're carrying them.'

Hearing this the Enforcer smirks. “Good, as long as you remember that Alien, this will go smoothly." Turning her attention to Vivian, her gaze hardens.

“Get in the car Vivian Wilde, you had your chance. You're ours now." Aiming the pistol at her, Mark feels Vivian grab onto his leg, claws digging into his calf.

Shaking her head, Vivian snarls back at the enforcer. “No."

Sighing like one would be annoyed with a child, the enforcer aims at Mark's head. Followed by the other two Vulpines turning off the safeties on their MP5's.

A whimper forces itself out of the youngest Wilde's throat.

With a growl in her own voice, the Enforcer walks a bit closer to the two. “There are two ways this can go you sad excuse for a fox let alone a vixen. First, you come with us and your fur-less freak of a boyfriend here live. All he has to do to get you back is just trade his tablet to our client for your worthless pelt. Don't bother asking who, I 'know' he knows who we mean."

Ears flat against her head, and her tail snakes between her legs. Vivian lets go, taking a step out from behind Mark as the human frowns deeply. “And the other?" She whispers, knowing the answer but dreading the confirmation.

A malicious grin appears on the Enforcer's muzzle. “We waste ammo worth more than your pelt killing you both right here and now. Then go tear your brother's home to pieces looking for the human's tablet. After all, I doubt he's an idiot and has it on him right now where it can be easily stolen, right?"

Vivian opens her mouth to protest only to be stopped by Mark's cold but edged voice. “That's right Ms. Vixen with a gun." He looks down at Vivian with a reassuring smile. “Go with them viv. I'll be by to get you shortly."

“But…" The vixen looks up at him as he continues to look down at her. A look of love, yet a hardness in his gaze. Somehow she can tell he doesn't like this situation any more than he does.

Nodding once, Vivian breathes in and out, then forces her ears up. Her tail stays between her legs as she slowly walks towards the Marble vixen enforcer. Much to the armed vixen's amusement.

Noting the same overwhelming scent of perfume from her, just like last time they met, as the enforcer grabs Vivian's shoulder with her free hand-paw. Keeping her pistol aimed at Mark, who in turn keeps his hands in the air as the enforcer's hench-foxes click their safeties back on. Shouldering their MP5's as they slip back into the car.

The Marble Vixen enforcer then shoves Vivian into the front passenger side of the vehicle before locking eyes with Mark.

Keeping his calm, Mark notes the look in the vixen's eyes. Species doesn't matter, he, and any resource runner has seen that unhinged look. Of one who enjoys things no civilized being should.

“Listen well Alien. One tablet, for Vivian's life. Deliver it to you know who, you know where 'tonight'." Slamming the driver's side door shut behind her, the enforcer rolls down the window. All the while holding the pistol at him.

“No tricks, no fake mock-ups. The real deal, ready for him to use, or she's dead. Oh, no bringing the police or her family in on this, not that it would matter soon. Though by all means go to the former and pray the latter is still alive and see what becomes of Vivian for all I care."

Holstering the pistol, the Enforcer pop's the vehicle into gear, and with a squeal of tires. The small car does a three point turn off of the sidewalk before hurling itself down the street as fast as its small engine can manage.

Lowering his arms, he grits his teeth and clenches his fists. 'Oh yea I'll pay him a visit. Can't do anything about Nick or Judy, though if I was a betting person they're alright. It does explain why they didn't answer when I texted them though.' Turning around, Mark breaks into a jog for the nearest E line station.

Rounding the edge of a city block, with anger tempering his instincts, but somewhat blinding him to his surroundings. Mark instantly reacts as the thickly muscled and hoofed fingered arm covered in a winter coat reaches out to grab him from an alleyway.

Ducking under it and pivoting on his feet, he pulls out the Plasma-Stunner. In one quick motion the barrel of it is pointed at the muzzle of the mammal belonging to the arm that tried to grab him.

“By your reaction, and lack of a Vivian Wilde, I take it I'm a bit late." Retracting his arm, and holding his thick keratin covered digits up in the air, the water buffalo waits for Mark to withdraw the weapon.

Mark slowly lowers the Plasma-Stunner. “What are you still doing here Bogo? I thought you would be off somewhere else in the country enjoying your 'retirement' with your wife."

Lowering his arms, he sticks his hands into his jacket pockets as his nostrils emit a jet of warmed air in the winter's night. “To keep it short and simple, I was on my way to warn you and Officer Wilde's sister of what I guess just happened."

Quirking a brow, but not holstering the Plasma-Stunner, Mark looks about the alleyway with his peripheral vision, keeping the former chief of police for prescient one square in his sights.

Noting he's not the only large figure in the alleyway and that the small space between buildings ends in a black large mammal vehicle. Two other are staying in the shadows to keep out of view but his night-vision has kicked in enough he can tell they're there by the slightly darker patches.

“And your friends over there?" The human slightly nods in the two figure's direction.

“I don't suppose they want the same thing the Skulk does." Keeping the weapon ready despite not aiming it at the Water Buffalo Bull anymore. He shifts his weight in preparation for running. Realizing he's ill-equipped to deal with multiple assailants larger than him when not limited by a set of rules in a friendly sparing match armed only with a taser.

After all, if he's dead, who's going to rescue Vivian from that dictator wannabe?

Bogo grins in a way that wholly reminds Mark of Nick's hustler smile for all the wrong reasons. “ 'Officer Wilde' is not the only mammal with connections, friends, and favors owed him Mr. Mercer. I've acquired quite a few in my long career as a police-mammal. Even more when I became Chief of Precinct One. Those two are associates of a connection I made, solely for making sure the city streets were free from all the violence that normally plagues large cities like New Yak."

Pulling out one of his hoof-hands from his jacket. The water buffalo motions for the two others to come forward. Two smartly dressed, but in scuffed and dirty, suited polar bears.

Turning his attention to the two, then backing up a step, Mark adds some sarcasm in his voice. “Well this would explain why you didn't go after Judy for being the god-mother of a mob boss's grand-daughter. So what do you want with me?"

One Polar Bear stares down at Mark bored look, as if he's seen the human's bravado before and finds it lacking as he stands with his large paws behind his back. The other grins amused at him. “This is, not you say, helping retrieve your girl-friend right?"

In an instant the Plasma-Stunner's aimed at the second polar bear's head, set to max charge. For as little as that would do to someone their size, Mark notes to himself.

“What we want." Bogo walks up silently, despite his size. Gently pushing down Mark's arm from aiming at the polar bear with a hoofed finger.

“Is to have peace in this fair city. I'm not an idiot Mr. Mercer. I knew you were hiding that tablet and this other weapon when we arrested you. Not to mention I also in the past month put together the pieces of what you did not to long before we arrested you. Understandably out of good will of course, who would with a moral compass such as yours stand idly by as bad events unfold when you have the means to stop them in you hand-paws, I mean hands."

The Water Buffalo bull removes his digit. “I mean it's a pretty big red flag that politics was politics, the dirty got away with things, with the less dirty getting blamed by the more dirty. All the while the general population gets scat at best. Up until a few months after those robberies you did start happening, and after that local server farm went up in flames for no reason. An outsider of a president, besieged from all sides, suddenly turns the tables on the establishment mammals from both parties that wanted him out of office."

The bull mimics flicking over a domino as the polar bears move closer. A faint scent of smoke tickles Mark's nose. “Like flicking over a domino, each one of the mammals opposing him falls. A scandal here with the evidence just so happening to be plastered on every major website in a day. The location of speaker of the house's their cub slaves there on every social media site. Etc. etc. Like someone sent him a list he's been ticking down it the past few month's mammal by mammal."

Folding his arms over his chest, Bogo stares down Mark.

“To put it bluntly, I think this entire situation is partly your fault and I should've put the two together sooner. I guess I'm out of practice as a detective in my old age. When you explained your history to us in one of your interviews, you mentioned a time of 'lead and blood' that happened in your world. I should've put that together with the sudden cleaning house the current presidential administration was doing. I also should've realized who's behind what he's clearing house of, considering he and the mayor share a similar name to two infamous figures of your own history. Yes I kept a copy of what you gave us of your world's history, I've been going through it in my spare time. It's been an interesting read to be honest."

Holstering the Plasma-Stunner, Mark glares at Bogo.

“So what if I did!? From what my grandparents wrote in their journal's, and what my parents told me and my siblings. It wasn't a nice time to be alive." Glaring at the two polar bears, though he is a bit curious as to why one of them still has their hand-paws behind their back.

Turning his attention back to Bogo he continues.

“An election system no one in their right mind considers legitimate despite the media claiming otherwise. Figures who're elected are killed left and right by both sides, regardless of who is in the way. D.A.'s refusing to punish criminals along with a general worship of the criminal element in opposition to the well-being of the average person. Causing crime to be so frequent people were in constant fear of their lives every day. My grandparents sold every worldly possession they had to buy land far far away from any form civilization just to get away from how gangs had impunity because of their skin color compared to theirs."

Mimicking the bull's earlier pose, sticking his hands into his pockets, Mark narrows his eyes. “So what if I had just a 'bit' of motivation to do the number one thing a time traveler shouldn't do. Try to change things for the better? Especially when things are happening here that were laid out in detail in my grandparent's journals and I'm basically stuck here to live through it if I don't do something."

Gritting his teeth and clenching one hand into a fist, he shoves a finger millimeters from the snout of the Water Buffalo, amusing the two polar bears. He's too worked up to notice that there's a chuckle from behind the Polar bear holding their hands behind their back.

“I know I screwed up in doing so! Things have gone so off the rails and you don't have to remind me of that considering that bastard Stallhoof just had Vivian kidnapped as a result."

'Even if me meeting Vivian in the first place would've never happened if I didn't.' The thought crosses Mark's mind as he shouts at Bogo.

“So, if you think I'm just going to stroll up hand the tablet to him, just, so I can get her back." Jabbing the finger closer to emphasize his point, Mark then backs off.

Lowering his arm, he tries to calm himself down while looking at all three of them. “Both you and these polar bears will be sorely mistaken, I'm going to go show him why you don't mess with someone like me."

Taking a single step away from them, he's halted as an aged voice speaks up. One he knows from the movie.

“Well trained you may be Mr. Mercer. You're only armed with a suit that 'may' take a bit more punishment than modern tactical armor along with what amounts to a newfangled taser."

The polar bear with his hand-paws behind his back takes a single step forward. Showing his paws at the human after kneeling a bit. Standing on them is an elderly male shrew bundled far too lightly for this cold, next to a younger female one with a large hair-do with a baby in her arms in normal attire for their social status.

“Well, that explains the polar bears." Mark snarks and instinctively reaches for the Plasma-Stunner only for the shrew to shake his head solemnly.

“Young one, if I wanted you injured or dead, you would already be so. As impressive as your physical feats are for a mammal your size, even you would have a hard time one on one with one of my polar bears. Let alone two and a well-trained ex-cop friend with how poorly armed you are right now."

The elderly arctic shrew motions with his hands for them to head further down the alleyway. “We have a few things to discuss, and we may come to an agreement for assistance in ridding the city of our mutual foe."

-- A bit earlier, several blocks away.--

“~ALL COPS ARE BASTARDS!!~"

One line of mammals yells at the top of their lungs, large or small. They all wear the same clothing with cloth masks covering their muzzles and the tops of their heads. Each armed with suspiciously intact brick, or completely unmarked glass bottle molotov cocktail. Waving each about as the mammals behind that line overturn cars, smash windows, and throw the burning objects into buildings. Or otherwise just riot and loot.

Sometimes they even attack the poor Mammal who just so happens to round the corner, either on foot or in a car, and come head-long into this 'protest' by accident. Each one of the victims begging for the police to help.

All the while the line of police, in full riot gear stand in standard formation less than a dozen yards away from the spectacle. Megafauna and large predators up in front, holding by now dented, cracked and partially burnt shields. Used to cover themselves and their smaller mammal coworkers from the barrage of bricks and burning bottles in the time tested palisade formation.

“~WRAP THEM UP, FRY THEM LIKE IMPERIALISTS!~"

Nick and Judy, both in their own smaller versions of police riot gear, carrying small mammal shields along with their similar sized coworkers from both Precinct one and two. Dash in between their larger co-worker's legs, plugging holes in their shield blockade or using a paw held extinguishers to put out fires on them and their shields.

Dashing in between Wolfard's legs, Nick moves to use his shield to close a gap, which has formed between the timber wolf's and a lion's riot shield. Said lupine glances down at the vulpine upon noticing the former hustler. “Where the fuck did they get all these bricks?! Did they dismantle an entire row-house?"

“~WHO'S STREETS? … OUR STREETS!!!!~"

The vulpine todd grits his teeth and digs his protective footwear into the pavement for traction as band of smaller mammal 'protestors' clad so much in the uniform he can't tell their species. Bash the hole he closed with bricks. “I called Finnick this morning asking if he's heard anything strange, said some new company rented multiple blank white vans to drop off pallets of bricks here!"

“What I'd like to know!" Judy hops from shoulder to helmet of her coworkers, landing on Fangmeyer's shoulder on the other side of Wolfard to the lion. Her shield on her back but in her paws her third fire-extinguisher of the night. The rabbit doe puts out the fire on the tigress's shield from a smashed molotov cocktail.

“Is why we're not advancing! There are buildings burning and civilians in danger! The ZFD and emergency services can't get in unless we clear them out!"

Fangmeyer yanks Judy down behind her shield, out of the path of a brick sailing through the air a moment later. Only for it to hit the helmet of a Timber Wolf from precinct two, denting it. Sending the mammal to the ground unconscious and bleeding.

The uniformly clad 'protestors' cheer as Delgato quickly takes his place while Mara and Kora drag the injured lupine farther back behind the lines to the waiting medical attention. Adding yet another of their ranks to the injured list.

She idly wonders where Siambia and Kalia went off to. They were here moments ago. Now she can't see nor smell them.

“We can't!" the lioness growls as Fangmeyer lets go of Judy. Allowing the Rabbit Doe to put out a fire on Rhinowitz's shield.

Nick rushes in to help Delgato, and to stop the smaller mammals from exploiting the size difference between the Timber Wolf and Lioness.

“That piece of shit mayor's declared this a legitimate protest! So he told Higgins and Higgins told us that if we so much as harm a strand of their fur tonight, we'll face brutality charges!"

“~SMASH THEM, SMASH THE IMPERIALISTS, SMASH THE PATRIARCHY~"

In a feat showing how skilled the Leporidae doe is. She catches a lit molotov cocktail thrown at her and hands it to the officer under her to dispose of.

Rhinowitz puts it out by stomping on it with is covered foot.

“That's fucking ridiculous, if we don't do SOMETHING the entire fucking block will be ruins! There are mammals, good mammals dying out there due to them rioting, and we're stuck here!"

If it wasn't for every officer in the blockade having to keep an eye on the protestors and covering their co-worker's, least they end up on the injured list. They'd have all stopped and stared at the fuming Rabbit Doe on the shoulders of a Rhino.

Someone they know who 'never' swears, just swore with an actual word rather than a made up one like she normally does.

Judy leaps from Rhinowitz's shoulder, onto Fangmeyer's head then onto a Bear from Precinct Two to put out the flames on him and his shield.

Nick and a familiar looking weasel officer rush in to cover the gaps caused by the Bear's panicked movements along with Wolfard. All wincing at the feeling of bricks colliding with their shields, numbing their hand-paws and arms.

The Timber Wolf looks down at Nick and the Weasel, then over to Delgato and Fangmeyer. “No reason to stay here and be picked off one by one! Any word from Higgins?"

“No!" Both the Lioness and the Tigress shout back, stunning the Wolf in the lack of chain of command they have when they need it the most.

“~ALL COPS ARE BASTARDS!!~"

The Timber-Wolf, somber and weary, looks around. The block of 'protestors' in front of them. Still throwing that seemingly endless supply of bricks and molotov cocktails. Through their uniform dress, he swears he recognizes the eyes of several criminals he's arrested recently, yet was forced to let go due to the city's new laws. Burnt or burning cars, broken and being actively looted buildings, burning or not, surround him and his coworkers.

Making the city he's lived in his whole life look like something out of an apocalyptic comic of his. The smoke and the scent of other burning things he'd rather not think about fills his muzzle, causing his instincts to yell at him for being here. Yelling at him to run and hide.

Battered and broken bodies of those who were unlucky enough to get in the way of the 'protesters' lay on the ground in front of them. Though as much as it pains him to realize, they may as well be on the other side of the planet for they can't advance and help. As any movement forward's met with a rain of bricks and fire.

Then he sees it, out of the corner of his eye. One 'protestor' not like the others while dressed as them, one armed with something no civilian should have in their paws, not in camelfonia but the State Guard 'does'. An M4 Carbine.

The small Aardwolf situates himself behind a bench and takes aim at the palisade of police. Wolfard instantly tracing the line of sight the smaller mammal's beading to his target. Ignoring the large set of tan ears approaching the armed mammal from behind the Aardwolf as he does so as finding out whom he's aiming at is more important in the lupine's mind.

Wolfard drop's his shield and leaps at Fangmeyer, much to the surprise of his coworkers around him, where Judy's standing on her shoulder putting out another fire on the Tigress's shield.

Time seems to slow down for the Timber-Wolf. His hand-paw grabs the Leporidae from the front of her riot gear, and yanks her down with him. Yelling out her name, Wolfard looks down to avoid banging his muzzle into Fangmyer's body armor. The confused look of Nick fills his vision because of this.

Time seems to stop for the Lupine as he hears the crack and echoing shot of the rifle, followed by a searing pain radiating from his upper arm, which in turn's followed by a slightly different sounding crack.

This one sounding more like something hard hitting the skull of a mammal rather than the retort of a firearm.

The loud 'protest' suddenly quiets down allowing the night to be filled with the roar of the untamed fires.

Another crack of something hard hitting a body echos in between the burning vehicles and buildings causing the uniformly dressed block panics momentarily.

Many of them thinking the cops had enough of what they were told, or paid to do and opened fire. Only for those in the head of the mob to stand there confused at their uninjured state. Patting down their own bodies looking for nonexistent bullet holes they expected to find.

Dropping her own shield, the Tigress catches Wolfard, a large chunk missing from the lupine's arm. Bringing him and by extension the stunned Rabbit Doe to the ground. Training takes over on the rest of the palisade of police.

Tightening ranks around the now injured Timber Wolf, Nick also soon joins the large female feline in proving first aid to his friend and coworker.

Delgato, the first to come to her senses, slams the bottom of her riot shield onto the pavement, grabbing her coworker's attention and roars. “Fuck Higgins! Fuck the mayor! I'm taking charge here! Fangmeyer, Nick, Judy. Grab Wolfard. We're retreating back to the staging point. Everyone else form ranks and cover our tails! If we're not allowed to stop these degenerates we shouldn't risk our hides here any longer! Let them destroy their own neighborhood."

“Wolfard, what the fuck were you doing?" Both Tigress and Rabbit Doe say simultaneously as they, with Nick's help carry the injured Timber Wolf. Quickly moving him out the back of the now retreating palisade of riot shields, and away from the renewed rain of bricks.

Smiling with a kneeling whine at Judy. “Taking a bullet for you it seems." He says as both Doe and Tigress shake their heads, look at each other, then smirk.

Only for all of them to stop as the owner of those tan ears from earlier approaches the group of retreating cops and chasing 'protestors'.

“Finnick!" Nick half growls at the Fennec Fox. Who's dressed casually, for the small mammal in his least favorite season, splattered with blood and carrying a blood covered baseball bat.

Nick raises his hand to stop some of his coworkers from arresting the small mammal on the spot considering his appearance. “Explai…"

“Ya damn got me to stick my snout into a fucking ant's nest Nicky boy when ya asked me if something weird is going on!" The diminutive vulpine with ease waves the bat in the direction of the following block of 'protestors'.

“Dis entire fucking riot was done for the sole purpose of offing you and dat Bunny of yours!! You and her stuck ya snouts into the same ant hill and its 'queen' wants your heads, I just stopped that mammal from trying, and this is what you greet me with?"

He smirks at Nick, showing he's not 'as' angry as his deep voice makes him sound.

Upon reaching the law enforcement staging point for dealing with the riot, their group's absorbed into encampment's personal consisting of mammals from every precinct in the city. As well as all the EMS and ZFD services unable to advance into this block of the city to do their jobs.

Delgato beats a warpath to where she thinks Higgins is to get some answers as the rest of their group disperses. Giving the white lie of Finnick being an injured civilian they picked up along the way allows the Fennec fox to help Nick, Judy, and Fangmeyer carry Wolfard to the nearest ambulance.

Once 'safe' from the 'protestors', kept at bay by the now much larger police presence as well as any other officers he doesn't know. Besides the EMT they just handed Wolfard off to, Nick tepidly uses a finger to get the smaller fox to lower his blood soaked bat.

“There's more to this I take it?"

Finnick taps the end of the bat on the pavement as they move to lean against the side of the ambulance. Only giving a slight glance to the Rabbit Doe and Tigress going inside the megafauna sized emergency vehicle with Wolfard.

“Of course theirs more ya fucking pelt! Ya missed the damn governor declaring independence no more than ten minutes ago from 'the imperialist president' after the Buck had the vice president arrested on cub trafficking. The head of the A.I.A. arrested for manufacturing fake intelligence against the Buck, and the top brass of the pentagon for treason. They went behind the commander en chief and saying they'd give the chairman of Zhongguo warning if the buck was going ta do anything."

The small mammal's confidence crumbles a little, but he's so good at hiding it, only Nick notices the subtle body language. “On my way here ta stop the hit on ya. I lost contact with my best source of info. Last words outta her on da phone were mammal's dressed as those nitwits." The Fennec fox points the bat at the still present but more tepid 'protestors' outside the encampment.

“There, but armed with guard-mammal weapons are going around killing mammals. Even one's dressed as them. Like some invasion of the body snatcher shit."

Sirens flair up, startling the two vulpine's, causing them to cover their eyes as all the ZFD firetrucks rev their engines and navigate out of the encampment. The cacophony of noise startles the Rabbit Doe idly eavesdropping as she and Fangmeyer keep Wolfard occupied and calm so the medic can do a better job dressing the Timber Wolf's wound.

Poking her head out of the Ambulance, Judy along with Nick and Fennick watch as what looks like the ZFD making a hasty retreat to them. Only to see a ragged looking Delgato approach them as the last fire engine's let out. The Lioness looks between the three of them, then sits down against the bumper of the ambulance. Elbows onto her knees and muzzle in her hands.

“I only caught the tail end of what the Fennec fox said, but it's true. We're on our own. Higgins got summoned to the mayor office not long after the 'don't harm them' order, and no one in command can get into contact with anyone at the Mayor's building. News feeds, when we can get them, have nothing but Stallhoof declaring independence in them…" Delgato pauses and runs a paw through her messed up head fur.

“To top that off. Every available ZFD resource, even show and antique equipment, have been pulled into service. Somehow, some mammal set the entire block that Mr. Big's mansion resides aflame. It's going to take all that to just ma…"

Silently, the lights of the surrounding city suddenly shut off, minus the mayor's and Governors buildings. Bathing everyone into darkness no mammal who's ever only lived in the city's used to. Shocked from this, Delgato trails off in her explanation and causing her to wonder 'what now?'. The entire encampment joins her in the sudden pause, even as their own generators kick in to keep the mobile bases and lights on.

Opening her mouth, Judy shuts it upon hearing the ever present sound of the climate walls running, ceasing. Something she's become so accustom too, that she ceased noticing it, making the now countryside like silence more unnerving.

With the now oppressive silence hanging over the law enforcement staging area, the sound of an approaching helicopter draws the attention of the majority of the officers in its direction.

The lights and paint job indicate it's a State-Guard chopper, causing further confusion between those around the ambulance as well as most of the officers.

Those that aren't watching the aircraft curiously quickly make room for it. Pushing their gawking coworkers away and dragging equipment out of the landing zone. All before standing at attention just outside the now cleared impromptu hele-pad. This does not go unnoticed by the diminutive Fennec Fox as he raises his bat.

Years of street living have honed his instincts, and they tell him something's not right here.

What gets Delgato's, along with Nick's hackles up, along with Judy's wrathful glare isn't how reckless the helicopter comes in and lands. Especially since the Rabbit Doe could point out at least two procedures the pilot ignored that are rules they must follow when landing in a cityscape.

It's the sight of Siambia, in a fully decorated Precinct One Police Chief uniform, decked out with State guard weapons on her person. Flanked by two Lion State guard mammals, she hops out of the chopper like she owns the place. Ears up and forward, her long sinuous feline tail swishing with pride and amusement. Planting a smile on her muzzle, she stares down Delgato in such a way that gets the head of the prescient one's lioness pride's hackles up.

-- Ten Minutes ago, Hopps Family farm. Bunny Burrow.--

A mellow ding wakes a young Rabbit Doe. Freshly home from college for winter solstice break and no older than twenty. Her neon dyed blue head-fur begs to differ on her age. She reaches out and picks up her top of the line I-carrot phone, the thousand plus zbuck model. Paid for by begging Stu for the farm's credit card to pay for a 'used' phone.

She still chuckles at how easy it was to get the tech un-savy father to pay for it and believe it's a 'used' piece of trash. Her words, not the buck's.

Sitting up in her childhood room, she laments the fact that her student debt keeps her from striking out on her own like some of her brother's and sisters. Oblivious to her own hypocrisy she lets out a sigh.

Unlocking her phone, she at least takes solace in the fact she now knows how the patriarchal and imperialist society's aligned against her, compared to her unenlightened parents and siblings. With the tools her Inter-Mammal relations in the modern world degree will give her, once she gets it, she can at least make a difference in the world.

Unlike her sister who thinks just joining the state's oppression force helps mammals.

She just needs to lean on her backwards thinking parents for a little longer till then. What grabs her attention though is a text from her professor of Species studies once she pays attention to the phone.

Linking the speech Stallhoof just made in declaring independence and how he'll keep the vision of the democracy that the United States of Animalelia alive. As well as making it a more equitable system compared to the one the tyrant in the White House just declared himself dictator of.

Before she can think more on this good turn of events, she gets another text. This one from a class-mate of her's, a friend. Someone she's had 'relations' with.

[Hey, did you see the news? Isn't this great? We'll get our freedom back! No more being oppressed by patriarchal male prey!]

Smiling and nodding the Doe replies. [Yea. Took some mammal long enough to stand up to the weird colored tyrant deer. Going to sleep easier now knowing we're safe.]

The reply's suspiciously instant. Not that the doe could sense that.

[Who needs sleep? We're going to go party! Do you want to come? If you do I'll be waiting outside your family compound's front gate.]

Looking at the time, she looks around her room. At the mix of childhood paraphernalia, with adult stuff. Kid's toys with adult 'toys'. Posters of old childhood movies and propaganda posters she made for her specie's studies classes. Her mind wanders to the 'lack' of things she has to do and the duties she wants to ignore. Imposed on her by her backwards thinking parents, trying to, in their words 'instill a sense of hard work' into her.

She figures she could use a drink, or two. [Alright, I'll be up in five. Need to get dressed.]

Not waiting to read the suspiciously instant reply in both speed and content, telling her to come alone to the front gate and not let anyone see her leave.

She switches out of her one piece nightie with a risqué looking bar hopping outfit, even as she laments the low amount of 'bars' in this backwater town.

Ignoring makeup, she grabs her phone, her wallet, with daddy's credit card, swiped from him earlier. The Doe quietly slips out of her small room into the burrow at large. Just like every other one of her siblings, she's learned how to sneak around unnoticed.

All of her younger siblings are asleep at this hour, which she's thankful for. Still, it stings bitterly at how selfish her parents are on how she couldn't have one of the adult suites to live in. All because she isn't tied to a 'boyfriend' Or expecting a litter. At least it makes sneaking around easier from their early bed-time.

From there, it's to an adult resident section for her letter in the litter, like going from a spoke in a wheel to a hub.

Arguments with her siblings who were given these suites as they get their legs under them still fresh in her mind. She sneers at the doors angrily as she sneaks by.

Still, at this hour, they're either 'occupied' inside them or asleep. Allowing her unseen, and unheard passage by.

A small blessing in a warren full of rabbits and their extraordinary sense of hearing.

Even with this luck, she has to remind herself the hardest part is coming up. The main hub of the burrow. Housing her parent's main suite, the main kitchen, and all the main entertainment and storage rooms for the burrow.

Thoughts of how much of a game she and her siblings played in trying to sneak into there at night fly through her mind as she navigates a path she knows will keep her unseen and unheard by her parents.

After all, Stu and Bonnie are getting older. Their hearing isn't as good as it once was.

Musing this, the Rabbit Doe grits her teeth. She'll show them! Her degree won't be useless, and she's not wasting their money. She'll be able to help those mammals around her navigate and live in this new equitable world for mammals.

Just give it some time to weed out the speciests, sexist, patriarchal mammals in places where they shouldn't be and everything will be better.

She pauses mid step as she sees them upon rounding a corner, only to relax as she notices they don't see her. They're glued to one of the Televisions set up in the main dinning room. A disheveled snow leopardess talks rapidly, mostly about how 'bad' what just happened is for the people of the country.

The nerve of calling the mammal trying to make things more equitable for mammals a tyrant!

Shaking her head and biting her tongue, the Rabbit Doe reminds herself that sellout to the system doesn't know any better. Slowly she makes her way behind her parents into the kitchen proper.

Not noticing how they're holding each other's hands while crying in sadness and fear.

The Rabbit Doe, so absorbed in her own mind also doesn't notice the large, but not as much as he used to be, vulpine in the kitchen. Stocking it with his recently cooked deserts and breakfast pastries for the Hopps clan to dine on in the morning.

“Oh, hey May. Back from college for the break I see. Happy the winter solstice is coming up?" Gideon pauses in the middle of transferring a tray of low sugar pastries from a cart into the bread-warmer of the gigantic main kitchen.

Instantly stopping in her tracks, she lays her ears back and smiles up to him. “Yea. Sorry to interrupt you stocking our burrow with your pastries." She inches her way towards the front entrance of the burrow, slowly. Trying to not make it look like she's heading out.

Granted she could double back and go through one of the side doors then walk back around outside.

May dismisses the thought quickly, she's on better terms with Gideon Gray than some of her siblings who're still up at this late hour near those entrances working on things. Or early morning for the pastry chef. She doesn't know how the Gray Fox could stand those hours.

“Oh it's not a problem." The Vulpine waves a hand-paw, May's movements not going unnoticed to him. While not the smartest mammal, Gideon's come to learn about many of the Hopps siblings since he's started the whole partnership between their farm and his bakery.

So he knows about the rebellious doe in front him.

“Ya trying to sneak out May? Not gonna judge what you're studying out at college. Not my place with only a G.E.D. But, Ya's staying at your parent's place for break meaning you're under their rules. I seem to recall them saying ya need to pull your weight as ya father says." He quirks an ear while the tip of his tail twitches back and forth.

May stops in her tracks, then taking a page from her older, and younger siblings. She gives the Vulpine some weapons grade doe eyes. “Can you 'please' look the other way? My friends are out at the front gate. We want to go celebrate the news."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Gideon slightly tilts his ears back as he looks down at provocatively dressed doe. While knowing about what just happened, he really doesn't care much for politics, thus he shut off his radio on the way over before hearing any of the specific details.

The doe in question though looks back up at him nervously, not bothering to hide her nervousness. Knowing if she can't get out of the burrow, she'll be gang-pressed into working on the farm and helping her backwards thinking parents further impose their privilege over Mammals like poor Gideon here.

Weighing the cost of time, effort, and reputation with the Hopps children if he either takes May to her parents, or lets her slip out. The Gray Fox sighs and moves his ears back up to their neutral position as his tail gives one lazy swish upon making a decision.

“On one condition May." Reaching over, he picks up one of the low sugar treats gently in his hand-paw. “Ya mother's insisted I try to cut back on the amount of sugar in my baking for her and ya sibblings."

He holds it out for her to take.

Blinking a few times, May does so. Looking it over, and sniffing it, it seems like a normal breakfast pastry to her.

“Can ya tell me how that tastes? From a Hopps point of view. If ya don't like it, then it may not be accepted by ya younger siblings come breakfast today." Gideon smiles politely and waits as May takes a small bite. Only for the Rabbit Doe to stuff the rest of it into her mouth, causing Gideon's tail to wag a few times.

“Are you 'sure' this has less sugar Gideon? It's about as sweet as before?" Licking her hand-paw, May raises her ears up. Then instantly lowers them in case her parents just happen to look over.

“Yup." Gideon goes back to stocking the bread-warmer. “I used some kind of new chemical thing that's like sugar that just came out on the market. Mixed in a fifth what I would normally use of regular sugar to hide the aftertaste and to me it tastes the same. Seems it does to a Hopps Doe too."

The Gray Fox Nods his head at the stairway leading up to the above ground farmhouse, and main entrance to the burrow.

“Ya better get going. I'm about done here and ya parents will notice ya here when I'm not making noise stocking the place. Have fun and don't stay out too late."

Grinning from ear to ear, May nods then hugs Gideon. “Thank you, you're the best!" Letting go, the Rabbit Doe dashes for the stairway as silently as she can while the vulpine shakes his head at her antics.

Quietly closing the door into the burrow behind her, May sighs. 'He really should be treated better than he is. Considering how this family used to treat foxes, Gideon should be getting produce for free from our farm, no questions asked.'

Shaking her head and reminding herself her friend is waiting. The rabbit doe makes her way through the above ground part of the complex. Old as the burrow itself, a life-time of living here gives her an ingrained sense of where to step to avoid putting weight on creaking floorboards. Or passing by doorways kept open for air circulation.

Swiping the front door key from its peg on the nearby wall. May quietly unlocks and heads outside. She slowly inserts the key and re-locks the door as quietly as possible, as the outside part of the lock is nosier than the inside, before pocketing the key.

Standing on the porch to give her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, she looks about while avoiding putting weight on similarly noisy planks.

'Just as I thought, my brother's from the 'I' litter are still working on our farm equipment. If I had used the side exit, they would've spotted me.' seeing said rabbits in the nearest equipment garage burning the night oil.

Rolling her eyes as the memories of them calling her an idiot for pointing out how they're furthering the patriarchal system and reinforcing the stereotypes used to oppress rabbits like them, she doesn't pay them any more of her attention.

She has a party to get to and alcohol to drink after all.

Stepping off the porch she keeps herself low to the ground as she heads down the path to the main gate. Letting the fence and evergreen plants hide her from view of the open garage and her backwards thinking brothers.

The full size wrought iron gate with large lit sign advertising who the compound belongs to looms overhead as she approaches her destination.

In her excitement, May misses the subtle shift of her friend, a fellow Rabbit Doe's, posture. From worried and scared to fake enthusiasm, a hint of sadness and even more fear as May hops over to the control panel for the gate.

Also assuming the headlights a little further down the road belong to her friend's vehicle, she ignores it as well. “Sorry. I would've been out sooner but I had to sneak out like a kit. My parents 'insist' I pull my weight while I'm here, so they've technically grounded me. Fuck them though, they're all that's wrong with this country."

Opening the panel, May's too busy entering the code to see her friend's strained and fake 'smile' fall in sadness with her tear stained face fur on display. New tears falling from her eyes and down her muzzle.

May only notices something's wrong the moment the gate unlocks and starts swinging open. Many more headlights flick on, followed by the roar of multiple engines coming to life. The vehicle she assumed was her friend's car guns, followed by the others. Not waiting for the gate to open on its own it smashes through.

Standing there stunned, May watches as Camelfornian State Guard vehicle's of various sizes rush into her family's compound. All filled with mammals and decked out with mounted weaponry.

“By serendipity's grace… You should've ignored my tex...agh" Turning to look at her friend. May stands there confused, her friend 'hates' serendipity. Her parents are fundamentalist worshipers.

Only to watch in confusion as a horse in state guard's uniform appears out of the darkness, roughly yanking the Doe up into the air by her neck.

“The great new Mammal's republic of Camelfornia thanks you for your service to the herd. Except, as the last surviving member of your family. You're now the owner of the land your parents used to oppress the less privileged members of the herd in Bunny-Burrow. Two capital offenses I'm afraid. One for owning land that belongs to the herd as a whole, the other for hording material from lesser members of the herd."

May then watches in absolute horror, rooted to the spot as the horse holds up her friend to his muzzle. The struggling doe's ears change to a deep bluish purple color as she gasps and fights for breath. Her eyes wide and bloodshot as the horse sneers hatefully at her.

With a crack, seemingly louder than roar of the military style Jeeps and Humvee's storming into the Hopps property. The Horse Guards-Mammal snaps the neck of her friend, dropping the lifeless wide-eyed body to the ground like it was a bag of trash.

Her eyes, as if locked in a trance, stare into the glassy orbs that once belonged to her friend. May stands there as the light, heat, and sound of something blowing up the equipment garage her brothers were working in washes over her.

Ears flap about in the shock wave that rolls over her.

Not even the gunfire and shouts from various mammals, including her own family break her trance until she suddenly, and for no visible reason falls to her hand-paws and knees. Her stomach violently wretches out its contents onto the pavement in front of her.

All the while the Horse guards-mammal steps up to her. Only when he's standing next to her, does May finally look up. Calmly, the Equidae pops the strap on his service pistol, pulling it out of his holster while the rabbit doe adds tears to the vomit on the pavement.

“But… We worked to help the oppressed, we renounced our status as privileged prey. We…"

Without a word he thrusts the barrel against May's head, pulling the trigger and cutting May's life short mid sentence. Kicking the body to the side he holsters it, then pulls his radio, bringing it to his muzzle.

“Remember heard-mates, leave no door nor building un-searched. Kill every Hopps rabbit you find and any other mammal in the compound, even if you have to burn the place to the ground. The only exception is Bonnie and Stu Hopps. Bring them to me, Stallhoof wants to watch them die via Muzzletime."

--Side Kitchen, J litter section, same time as the initial explosion on the surface--

Halting mid step, Gideon watches and feels the room shake as jelly treats wobble on his stock cart. Putting his foot down, the Gray Fox's ears focuses in on the sound of a nearby door opening.

Looking over he smiles as Janet, one of Judy's sisters, and mother to the most adorable. In his opinion, and he'll debate you on this Bunny he's ever seen, Cotton. Walks out of a side room with her ears up. “Did ya feel that Janet? Was that one of those Earthquake things the media talks about?"

The earth-toned Rabbit Doe shakes her head as her ears swivel a bit. Taking in auditory information past which that the Gray Fox can hear. “Yea it felt like one, but sounds different, like it came from above, and not bellow. Besides, we're in a stable section of Camelfornia. Nowhere near the fault lines of the coastal or near coastal cities."

Pausing for a moment and blinking, a sense of confusion, then fear washes over Janet as new sounds echo down the halls to this smaller hub. Then when the same sounds become audible to Gideon, his tail fluffs up out of fright.

The sounds of mammal's yelling, and the sounds of gunshots. Not deafening bangs portrayed on the television, movies, or video games. No, the measured and rapid pops of semi auto fire. The slightly different tone of the retort from pistol fire. Followed up with the echoing clap of single shot rifle fire echos down into the side kitchen.

A sub-hub in the burrow compared to the main one he just stocked.

All that sound's eclipsed by the piercing wail of the fire-alarm echoing throughout the burrow. Followed shortly by an older rabbit, someone from the F litter if Gideon's memory serves him correctly, stumbling down from the main hub to the J litter section.

Seeing him stumble on the last few stairs, Janet rushes over and grabs her elder brother by the shoulders. Leading him over to a nearby set of tables and chairs, only to recoil as her hand-paws become covered in his blood from the buck's gaping chest wound through his shirt.

“Grab… Grab the kits and RUN!" Coughing up blood, the buck doubles over as Gideon moves to help Janet get him onto a chair.

Helping her brother sit up with her eyes full of fear and confusion, Janet rips his shirt off, exposing the full extent of the bullet wound on the Buck's chest. “What the fuck's going on here!"

“Fredrick? Hang in their bud!" Remembering his first aid training from school, well, before he dropped out. Then the course he had to take, so he could open his bakery. The Gray fox grabs the nearest towel he can see, and applies pressure to the wound. Hesitant if this is the right action but deciding it is better than letting the buck bleed out without an attempt to stop it.

Doesn't matter to the Vulpine if Fredrick wasn't the nicest to him, he's determined to not see another mammal suffer. Not anymore if he can help it.

“To think." Fredrick coughs up more blood as Janet wipes it from his muzzle with a bare hand-paw. “To think I used to think the worst thing that happened to the family was when Mom and Dad partnered with you Gideon…"

Eye's widening, the Rabbit Buck fights against both the Gray fox, and his younger sister keep him seated in place.

“Mom and Dad! They took them. The guards-mammals took them! They're shooting everyone else, or blowing up the farm buildings!"

Another rumble shakes the burrow, vibrating the side kitchen with it. Whatever was blown up thankfully for their hearing silences the wailing fire-alarm.

Trying to understand the situation and how everything just figuratively just went upside down, Janet holds her older brother's head in her hand-paws. “You're not making sense! Guards-mammals as in the camelfornia state guard? Why would they do this? We're anamilain citizens, like them!"

Gideon replaces the towel as it becomes soaked. Watching Fredrick's inner ears grow pale by the second as he weakens a bit with another cough.

“The radio talked about something like independence on the way here Janet. I shut it off cause I don't care for politics since it was da cause of my pa getting angry. He was always angry bout the state taking freedoms. Took it out on me and ma."

“I've been playing with the kits all day." Janet glances at the door where she knows they'll be awake. Her litter and those of some of her sister's. After all how could they sleep though all that noise.

“Keeping them out of trouble now they're out of school for the winter solstice."

Fredrick turns his head and locks eyes with Gideon the gray fox. He knows his time is up as he loses feeling in his legs and his arms feel like their weighed down with lead. “We've had our differences, but please I beg of you."

Looking momentarily in the same direction as Janet then back at Gideon. “Get the kits out of here… They're calling us traitors to the herd, whatever that means, even though most of them are predators, like you. Maybe you can sneak them out as Pop-Po…" The rabbit buck coughs up more blood and takes an uncomfortably long moment to be able to breath before looking back up at the Gray Fox.

His skin under his fur pale and ashen, his eyes looking sunken in his head. Gideon realizes that the rabbit buck in front of him is bleeding out too fast to help. Janet on the other paw babbles reassurances, telling him to hold on. Fruitlessly keeping pressure on the wound as the Gray fox lets go, realizing it's pointless.

“Pop-Pop's trying to buy time for me and others to get the kits out. I wasn't able to get away without getting shot, but you can. Please…"

Gideon hardens his gaze, as a strange, almost unnatural calmness pushes out the fear and worry creeping into his mind. The gray fox has of course heard stories, tales of mammals who seem to have a surreal clarity overcome them in stressful situations, where other mammals would lose their minds. He just never expected he'd be one of them.

In that serenity, he feels his already sharp senses of hearing, sight, and smell become even more intense. Like some mammal grabbed the volume dial for them and turned them to eleven. “I understand…" His tone of voice respectful for the Buck's dying wish.

Gideon softens his gaze, turning and placing a hand-paw on Janet's shoulder to get her attention, get her focused to the reality he now sees.

“Fredrick's not gonna make it. We can't stay here and waste time we donna have Janet."

Instantly turning on the spot. Janet growls out at Gideon. In a hysterical fit focusing all her anger at the injustice of this chaotic event on the Gray Fox “I'M NOT LEAVING MY OLDER BROTHER HERE TO DIE!"

Her outburst blinds the Doe to the fact the Buck in question silently just let out his last breath as he drowns in his own blood.

Noticing this while recognizing Janet's outburst is a sign she's no longer thinking rationally, Gideon backs up. Grabbing a clean towel, he cleans his hand-paws before making his way over to where the kits are, including Janet's litter.

All the while the Rabbit Doe fruitlessly tries to rouse her older brother. Refusing to accept one of her brother's died right in front of her, and she couldn't do a thing about it.

Slowly opening the door, the Gray fox's adrenaline enhanced low light vision makes it a breeze to locate the kits in question. All bunched up in a fluffy pile in a corner of the dug out room, with Cotton standing in front of the mass of ears and eyes holding a brush she found as a weapon towards any mammal who aims to harm them.

The small rabbit doe kit, not even ten years old, yet acting like a protector to her siblings and cousins. Gideon finds it extremely cute, or he would if it wasn't for the situation as he finds himself strangely calm, collected and with a goal in his now clear mind.

Get them out alive, whatever it costs, even if it is his own life. He owes it to the Hopps clan and most of all to Judy wherever she is. Mainly for forgiving his youthful hate. No, his youthful pain at being attacked by his own father in his dad's uncontrollable rage in things he shouldn't be paying attention to.

Taken out on one of the world's most resourceful and forgiving mammals he's met in his life.

“Giddy?" Cotton lowers the small brush she wields as a weapon as Gideon enters, then closes the door behind himself quietly.

Neither turning on the light nor letting the sight of Cotton's hysterical be seen by the kit. The rays coming in through under the door frame is enough to see the room in muted blacks and grays for the vulpine after all as he approaches the fluff pile.

“Sush…" Silencing Cotton as he counts them. Ten in total including Cotton, about two litters in total. A far cry from the nearly three hundred strong Hopps clan that existed mere hours ago if they are, as he fears, the only survivors so far.

Nodding to himself over the task in front of him, he unconsciously commits each of the kit's scents to memory before looking around the room for something to carry them with.

Only to freeze in place, once voices echo in through the door.

“A Hopps doe. Maybe I can have some fun with ya before killing ya and putting you in ya place like I did to some of ya brothers." The voice of a small predator echos in. It's familiar and Gideon wracks his mind trying to place the tone of voice to a mammal. Till his sense of smell weeds out the now ever present scent of blood to reveal one of a familiar raccoon.

Mori Tanukichi, son of Tom Tanukichi. His father immigrated from the eastern lands across the pawcific to set up a vineyard. Only to have the best land for it bought up under his snout by the Hopps clan because he was a day late to the auction.

A simple translation error for the day of the auction between their native Nipponese and English. Still, Tom made a good niche as a pawn broker, though he never did forgive the Hopps for 'ruining' his dreams. His children also bullied members of the Hopps clan like he used to do.

Inheriting their father's hate, almost like he did from his own father.

“NO! I WON'T LET YOU KILL THEM!" Janet's scream echos in and Gideon has to gently place a paw over Cotton's mouth to keep her quiet. Least she, upon hearing her mother's voice reveal their position to Mori.

They have to stay quiet, he can't defend them all from the Raccoon and deal with a hysterical Janet at the same time. She'll just have to deal with this on her own, as much as it pains him to realize it.

The sound of a kitchen knife pulled from its storage block, the scuffle of the soft feet of a rabbit doe and the clacks of a raccoon's clawed paws. Hysterical feminine screams combined with grunts from the raccoon. A masculine yelp of pain followed by a three round retort of a small mammal rifle fill the air.

A double thud of bodies hitting the floor, followed by silence.

Slowly Gideon removes a hand-paw from Cotton's mouth, then motions for her to both stay quiet by putting a finger to his muzzle. Then pointing to the ground to stay here with her now fully awake siblings who are all looking at the young doe for guidance.

Approaching the door, the Gray fox slowly opens it and slips out into the side kitchen and into the J section side hub. Being sure to block the sight of the other room with his body before closing the door behind himself.

Fredrick's body's slumped to the floor, staining the tile with his cooling blood is the first thing Gideon sees. Nearby is now the twitching body of Janet, her vacant gaze looking up at the ceiling despite missing an ear and part of her head where it stood. Laying nearby is Mori, gasping for breath. Clutching his neck with both hand-paws around the rabbit sized cutting knife embedded where his neck and shoulder meet, trying to keep himself from bleeding out.

His small mammal standard issue rifle lies on the floor nearby along with the three spent shell casings. Gideon uses a foot-paw to slide it out of the dying Raccoon's reach.

Locking eyes with the Gray Fox, Mori sputters out between a snout-full of blood. “Gideon?"

The vulpine in question nods his head, he should be angry and panicking. He just talked with Janet, knew her well, considered her a friend. Now she's dead and her killer is right here. Yet, the thought of those kits in the other room keeps those emotions at bay, keeps the calm serenity in place, so he can focus on the here and now.

Keep the kits alive, and Mori is in the way…

“Ya let your father's hate consume you, like it almost did me. Look where it led ya Mori." Walking closer, Gideon notes the raccoon's Guard's mammal backpack.

Once cleaned of the Raccoon's blood a bit and emptied of his supplies, he should be able to fit the kits inside as long as he pokes a few breathing and ear holes in it.

Spitting out some more Blood Mori begs. “Please help, I don't wanta die. Not to a Hopps doe pelt, not after they stole that land from Pa."

“Ya already dead Mori. As a moral mammal when ya decided to join whoever thought it was a good idea to do this to the Hopps clan. Now ya dead in general. Ya going to bleed out soon, whether I pull that knife out of ya or not. So make peace with ya actions to the great Tanuki ya father worships."

Enraged by the Gray Fox's words, Mori reaches for where he thought his rifle still was. Only to have his hand-paw instantly pinned to the floor by Gideon's foot-paw.

“I need that backpack, but I don't need ya alive to take it." Calmly, and despite the weakening protests from Mori. Gideon grabs the kitchen knife handle. With a single smooth motion, the Gray Fox pulls it free of the smaller Raccoon's body.

With the obstruction removed, Mori bleeds out in a matter of moments. Allowing the Gray fox to remove the backpack and go about quickly emptying and cleaning it for his use.

'Did I really just?… No Mori was already dead from Janet stabbing him, I just hastened it. If I left him alone he could've harmed the kits as I left with them.' Gideon muses as he uses towels and paper towels to clean as much of the blood he can from the piece of equipment.

Followed by using a pair of scissors to make a few breathing and ear holes, then placing the remaining towels inside as a cushion for the kits. All the while his ears swivel and focus towards the stairs and hallway leading back up to the main hub of the burrow. Taking in the still echoing sounds of combat, fire, and death.

Looking over his quick work, despite it being a bit small for him. He nods and walks back over to the side room with Cotton and the fifteen other kits. Gideon flinches sympathetically upon seeing Cotton flinch at the sight of him, if even for a moment.

“Giddy wha…" Gideon gently quiets the tiny rabbit doe kit.

“We don't have time. Help me get ya siblings into the backpack here and I can carry all ya out of this place." He makes sure to keep himself between Cotton and the view through the door. The last thing he needs is a loud crying kit at the sight of her mother dead on the floor.

Not if he's going to keep the promise to Fredrick, of saving the kits.

Gideon with the help of Cotton gets the kits who're about her age into the backpack first. It's standing room only and a tight fit, any complaints about the scent or look of blood on it are quickly and gently silenced by the Gray Fox and the brave little Doe, Cotton.

The last older kit in.

Gideon test closes the backpack, then widens some holes he made to allow their ears to poke out and allow them to breath. Stealth isn't the point here, being able to carry them all safely is.

“Hold onto ya younger siblings, okay?" The vulpine looks at the older kits as he carefully hands them the younger ones. The tiniest being only a year old.

A part of Gideon's heart breaks at the sight of the kit. 'Only a yearling, and they've already lost most of their family…'

With all Ten in the backpack, the Vulpine nods to himself. “Okay. Keep ya heads down, stay quiet, and try not to move too much okay?"

Cotton nods, followed by the other older kits. Hesitantly Gideon zips the backpack up before moving to pick it up, only to wince at the weight. 'Karma, if I get out of this alive with them. I promise to completely lay off the sweets and actually get in shape.'

Unsure if it's the optimal way to carry this precious bundle of kits, Gideon slips the backpack across his stomach rather than back. Considering he's going to have to move on all fours anyway to keep behind cover. He figures it will allow him to shield them with his own body as well.

Kit's secured, the Gray Fox nods. He's dawdled long enough in this side room. Allowing the sounds of angry mammals to grow, while the sounds of gunfire have only gone down a tad. Slowly padding into the J section's sub-kitchen and common area, the vulpine charts a course around and away from all the bodies laying on the floor.

Least one of the cubs spots them while peaking out one of the holes. After all, It's what he would do if he was in there, trying to have a look outside the backpack. Something Gideon knows will cause them to have many years a therapy if they do so.

Being so close to the floor also fills his snout with more olfactory information than he's used too, but a primal part of his mind quickly awakens and sorts through it for him.

Rabbit blood, Raccoon blood. The overall scent of fear. He murmurs to himself. Quickly Gideon finds the blood trail left by Fredrick as he fled here, followed by Mori's scent trail from the side tunnel between 'J' section sub-hub to 'K' section sub-hub.

A simple plan of action forms in the Gray Fox's mind. 'Get up to tha main hub somehow, IF I can get up there, I can get to my truck Once I get to my truck I can gun it out of tha compound. Just gotta keep low and move slowly, so they don't see me.'

Patting a squirming kit in the backpack to get the young one to stop, Gideon weighs his options on which way to actually head up to the main hub of the burrow.

Looking down the side tunnel that Mori didn't use, leading to the 'I' section sub-hub. 'No. If poor Mori made it here via tha other corridor, that means they're in the side tunnels and sub-hubs. They'd be upon me before I could react if that's tha case. Can't risk tha kits…'

Turning, the Gray Fox makes his way up the stairs and through shorter hallways, leading to the main hub of the burrow. Taking extra care to do so silently as shouting, sounds of gunfire, and both the scent of smoke and blood get stronger the closer he gets to the main hub.

RELOADING!

One of the Hopps bucks yelling catches his attention, Gideon can't place the name but as he peeks around the corner, he sees one of a handful of rabbits shoving ammo into a rifle. The Living area, Dining room, and Kitchen part of the main hub just outside the access corridor has completely changed in the short while he's been downstairs after allowing May to sneak out.

'She'll be okay. She was topside when this started after all.'

A barricade made from tables, chairs, and anything the Hopps family could pile up to make cover. Or really, cover that just barely works considering the ample amount of bullet holes and chunk's missing. Some being made even as he watches the group.

All the while, smoke slowly fills the air from uncontrolled fires past the barrier. In what he can see has gone from the dining room area into a no mammals land of blood and death.

Along with bodies, more bodies of mammals than the Gray Fox has seen outside a disaster movie. A sick sense of satisfaction washes over the vulpine a moment later, as at least from his vantage point, he notices they're more guards-mammal bodies than Hopps rabbits.

A satisfaction that fades the moment he notices all the bodies of Hopps rabbits lying around the perimeter of the room. Behind barriers or pillars, or whatever impromptu cover they could find. In fact the few who are still alive are the ones behind the barricade in front of him and the sight of it threatens to tear through his adrenaline induced calmness.

The buck who called out, now finished with reloading his rifle, hoists it over the lip of the barricade while keeping himself behind the bulwark and fires a three round burst. The guard's mammal's reply is a few more holes appearing in the lip of the barrier moments after he lowers his hand-paws.

“We can't hold this position for much longer Pop-Pop!"

Now noticing the aged rabbit buck sitting next to the first one, as some third Hopps rabbit tending to a badly wounded fourth rabbit near them continue what they were doing strangely puts the vulpine on an edge. Pop-pop, one of thee, if not the oldest Hopps rabbits Gideon has met, has never been a fan of him in the slightest.

Yet, there he is, wearing a hastily thrown on, and older looking guard uniform. In his hand-paws rests an ancient single shot long rifle whose model name Gideon is familiar with, but just can't seem to remember now with all that is going on. This is the first them the vulpine has seen of him not as an aged, and possibly senile old mammal, but a force of nature to be tangled with at your peril.

For a moment he can't place a claw tip onto it as to why, only for the elderly buck to answer it for him.

“Quit ya bellyaching. Hold it we must! Gotta give time for Fredrick and the others to get the kits out! The longer we keep them occupied here, the more of them will live!" That's not the voice of the senile or senile like old rabbit he has interacted with. It's the voice of a soldier and a leader.

Gideon watches as the elder rabbit pulls a lever on the aged rifle. A small clip clangs out of the top of the rifle and onto the floor. Holding the lever back and with one aged but strong hand-paw. Pop-pop pushes in a bundle of four rounds held together by a clip on their rear into the firearm with the other. Letting go of the lever once it clicks into the place, it slides all the way forward, but not down.

Pop-Pop does that with the palm of his hand-paw once it reaches the end of the mechanism.

He shows his age as it takes him a moment longer to kneel into position, sticking the barrel of the rifle through a hole, and fires once. A brass shell casing clangs to the floor at his foot-paws and he nonchalantly kicks it away.

The large, loud and heavy retort of the rifle's followed by an anguished cry from the other side of the room. Moving to sit back down and against the barrier just in time as returning fire rains in. That's the moment the elderly rabbit spots the vulpine with his head carefully poking around the entryway to the 'J' section Sub-hub.

Gideon freezes in place as Pop-pop instantly brings his rifle to bear at the Vulpine. Only to watch as the elderly rabbit's visage softens, along with him lowering the rifle. Unknowingly to the Gray Fox, Pop-Pop spotted the ears of his grand and great grand kits before firing.

All the young ears poking out of the belly worn backpack, moving about to catch all the sounds while simultaneously trying to lay down to drown out the painful noise.

“Don't just cower there Gideon, get over here!" Pop-Pop orders the Vulpine in that same tone of voice.

Stunned at the fact the elderly rabbit has finally for once in his life called him by name. Gideon's still entranced by the sheer weight and power behind the rabbit's words. Like a Drill Sargent from that one movie he watched, Gunnery Sargent something? The Gray Fox carefully on all fours pads over to the barricade just as ordered without another thought.

“Gideon what're you doing here!" The first rabbit he heard exclaims angrily upon seeing the vulpine. Then only to gasp upon noticing the backpack. Bringing his rifle up to bear at the Gray fox, fully intent to shoot him dead.

“Not their blood! Tha Kit's aren't harmed, please believe me!" Gideon sits on his haunches and holds his hand-paws up while staying bellow the lip of the barricade.

“Keep ya weapon aimed at the enemy BOY!" Pop-pop growls in such a manner that Gideon thinks he could put some predators to shame. The first rabbit goes back to making sure no mammal on the other side of the room gets past no-mammal's land along with his other siblings.

Grabbing the vulpine by the muzzle, the aged eyes with only a touch of senility though bore into Gideon Gray as Pop-Pop pulls him down to his level.

“Explain Gideon. Make it quick."

The Gray Fox gulps. “Ten. Unharmed. Guards-Mammals in tha side tunnels. Ja.." His muzzle's shut by Pop-Pop's hand-paw like a vice.

The elderly rabbit knows those ears poking out of the backpack, he sees Cotton's among them. If his adorable little grand, or great granddaughter.

Honestly the elderly buck will freely admit he's lost count of how many by now.

If Cotton's ears are among them and Janet is not right behind the vulpine, it can only mean one thing to him. Not to mention if they're in the side tunnels, all is already lost in defending the burrow. They can be flanked at a moments notice now.

'I'm getting slow in my old age! Must've breached through multiple entrances…' Pop-Pop mutters to himself.

“Ammo check!" Growling the order out to cover his mutter out of habit to preserve moral, the three other non-injured rabbits with him reply.

“Two clips!" From the buck he first noticed.

“Four clips!" Comes from a Doe that was tending a wounded sibling earlier. Some mammal from the Hopp's C litter if Gideon recalls correctly. She's now at the barricade with guards mammal rifle like her brother's.

Gideon doesn't know if they were owned by the family or were plucked from the dead bodies of the attackers. Frankly right now he doesn't care where she got it.

“Last clip!" The reply from the other young buck comes right behind the Doe's.

“Catherine, give a clip to your brothers. Prep…"

A grenade rolls to a stop near the second buck's feet. “Grenade!" he yells out, grabbing it. He stands while chucking it back where it came from in a single motion.

The explosive barely starts its return trajectory as a bullet ventilates the buck's head. His lifeless body hitting the floor as everyone winces from the grenade's concussive blast.

“Catherine, get the ammo from your brother. Split it evenly with Davis, then grab Edward. We're falling back." The elderly rabbit takes another shot through a hole in the barricade upon sensing it being a bit too quiet from their opponents fire from even before the grenade.

A couple of flankers, remaining from three, dash back to cover.

“Where!? You heard the Pelt. They're in the side tunnels!" Davis whines.

Looking between the remaining three, Gideon nods in what he thinks is the direction of the main parking garage for the Hopps compound. “If we get to my truck, I can get ya all out of here…"

“They'd" Edward coughs, like Fredrick before him, there's some blood with it, not boding well to his survival chances. “You'd be blown to bits before you leave the property. I saw APC's up top. Ya ain't out running those in ya pastry truck. If ya actually do, they'll ventilate it or worse."

“B section." The elderly rabbit speaks up. “Ya father Stu hated the fact I had a panic room built in it for tha family, wanted it removed when I handed him control of tha farm. Made it a stipulation it stayed though, just in case. Called me paranoid as I had it built when the Purrussians pushed eastward and took that small island Nihon near Nippon in nineteen eighty using this serendipity damned new system, to emancipate tha islands Purrussian population. Thank tha gods cooler heads prevailed."

Pop-pop's gazes at Davis, Edward, then Catherine before those aged eyes land on Gideon.

For some reason that's all it took for the Vulpine. In that instant, he somehow knew the elderly rabbit realized that he and the kits would most likely be the only mammals shoved into that room.

“These deluded and dumb mammals could burn the entire warren to ashes and tha room will keep ya safe." Glaring at the doe, two bucks and one gray fox todd.

“Catherine grab Edward, Stay with Gideon and follow me. Davis, bring up the rear. We're going down ta 'J' section, then using tha side tunnels to get to 'B' section."

Considering they've watched their entire family die around them. The three Hopps clan rabbits cling to the only sense of order in the room, instantly and unquestioningly following the Elderly Buck's orders.

Even with Pop-Pop setting the pace back the way Gideon came, back down to 'J' section, time seems to lack the same meaning even as the pace back the way he came is slower.

Nor does he say anything as the Elderly Buck spends the last two shots of his rifle's clip liberating the brain matter from the heads of a small boar and weasel guard's mammal's looting the 'J' section hub.

He fills his rifle with his last clip while Gideon covers the holes in the backpack with a hand-paw as they pass the bodies of Cotton's mother and the others on the floor.

Catherine on the other paw, gives a slight whimper at the state of her younger sister while Davis does the motion of the Serendipitous symbol as a prayer for her with a free hand-paw.

From there the silence in the once active warren unnerves all of them as they pass through the seemingly untouched 'I' sub-section, minus the scent of blood and death. To 'H' sub-section, and further down the alphabet. Only for the that unease and silence to be broken by the yelling of mammals and gunfire as the group exits 'D' subsection.

Rents in the walls suddenly appear, revealing earth behind wood as they open fire at Davis and the others. Partway down the corridor and with their pursuers closing in fast the younger buck sighs, then without an order from Pop-pop. Grabs the nearby shelving unit in the hallway and yanks it down, sending it falling to the floor.

“Catherine, give me some of your ammo. I'll hold them off." Laying down prone, he glances back at his sister.

Before the doe could open her mouth, Her, Edward, and Pop-pop have to duck as low as Gideon is to the ground as more guards-mammals pour into the hallway behind them, each of them adding to the hail of bullets heading their way. Without a word of protest, Catherine tosses her brother all but her current ammo clip while shedding a tear.

As the group, with Catherine now taking up the rear continue to the 'C' sub section. They hear Davis firing with reckless abandon. None of them have to say anything, they all know he can't stop them. Only slow the guards-mammal's down.

Unlike the sections higher in the alphabet, 'C' section's filled with what remains of the ongoing carnage as it's near the way to the main parking garage. Seeing the bodies of both Hopps rabbits and guards-mammals. Edward slows his pace, and thus Catherine's to examine one of them. Spotting the guards-mammal standard issue pistol, and other equipment on their formerly living body, he knows what he has to do as firefight they left has slowed down.

From what strength he can gather Edward forces Catherine to let him go. He knows he's going to get the needed medical attention to save him. The bandages and field dressed sutures won't keep him alive till they can get to a hospital.

It's at that moment the gunfire from Davis stops.

Catherine's audible and physical protest at Edward halts both Pop-Pop and Gideon just before they exit 'C' section. “Go." He wheezes while checking the pistol it and seeing it has almost a full clip. Then moving the grenade behind his back and out of sight from his sister.

Hiding it from her sight while pulling the pin with his thumb, but not releasing the lever. Making it a dead-mammal's switch and a nasty surprise to those tail-holes following them and the thought of doing so gives him a morbid sense of satisfaction. Seeing the resolve in his eyes. Pop-Pop and Gideon grab Catherine and keep going, causing vulpine having to hop on three limbs.

Gideon can't blame Catherine as she seems to lose most of her resolve as they leave Edward behind. A part of him realizes that she must think they're the only Hopp's rabbits left alive, outside those who haven't arrived for the solstice celebrations that is considering all the bodies they've found so far.

Halfway between 'C' and their destination, 'B' section. Catherine willingly follows them and only half observantly keeps up her position of rear guard. Her rifle hangs loosely in her hand-paws. It only adds to the now unnerving liminal like look of the hallway. Standing there, untouched and unmarred in complete contrast to the carnage that greets them in 'C' section.

Multiple bodies on the floor, more than the previous sub-sections and near the same amount in the main hub. Gideon takes note of not only who, or how old the bodies of the Hopps family who lay here dead, but also how the entire room to add insult to injury's been looted completely. They even tore the paneling off the walls as if they were looking for safes.

Taking a moment to wrack his aging mind for the entrance, Pop-Pop looks around the ruined room.

“There" he points at the one piece of furniture 'not' toppled over and only having its contents thrown to the floor and torn to shreds, a bookshelf. Possibly to also look for valuables the Gray Fox muses.

“The door's behind there." Keeping his rifle ready, the Elder Hopps approaches and runs his hand-paws along the underside of one of the shelves.

All the while the sound of pistol fire echos into the 'B' section from 'C' section. Vulpine and Doe glance at each other as it's countered with rifle fire. Followed shortly by the pressure wave and vibration of a grenade flowing over them, echoing through the now tomb like warren.

Gideon morbidly notes they're down now down to two Hopp's adult bunnies, along with him and the Ten kits. He's about to try to say something to Catherine, when Pop-Pop interrupts him.

“Gah damn these old bones, Gideon, Catherine, Help me with this door!" Both mammals, not wanting to think about how much longer they have, move to help. On well oiled and large hinges. The door attached to the other end of the bookshelf swings open towards, revealing an old style panic room.

No wall of computer monitors for camera's, no phone, just a space large enough, as Gideon suspected, for either him and the kits or both the adult rabbits and the kits. Along with the table, electric lights, chairs, rations, and an honest to Karma short wave radio.

It never crosses Gideon's mind that all of them could fit if the latter two rode on the back of the vulpine and if he pushed the table as far back as it could go. Mainly because they're about to run out of time. The foot falls of the pursuing Guards-Mammal's echo into the sub-section from the way they came telling them they're moments away.

Gray Fox Vulpine looks at Elderly Buck, whom in turn are both stared at by a crying Catherine. Said doe glances down at the bloody backpack full of kits. Her nieces and nephews and a resolve builds in her chest as Pop-Pop softens his gaze at the vulpine.

“We may've had our differences Gideon. I may've held a grudge for whatcha did ta my grand-daughter. But ya a better mammal than I'll ever be for what ya've done tonight….. As soon as tha door closes, flip tha lever to lock tha door. Air and other systems should turn on after tha door locks. Keep them safe, raise them right." The elderly buck takes one look at his grand-daughter Catherine. Both mammal's seemingly having come to the same conclusion as they nod their heads in unison.

Both instantly bum-rush the Gray fox, and in his confusion, Gideon backs into the panic room. His tail bumping into the table.

Catherine and Pop-Pop barely have just enough time to shut the door behind him.

Without a second thought, the Gray Fox lunges for the door lock. Flipping it closed, thus triggering the safe room's systems to turn on, and not a moment too soon either. The sound of gunfire mutely enters the safe haven a moment later.

Now safe, adrenaline fades, and Gideon's bulwark against the gravity of the situation collapses. Crying, and whimpering, he falls to his side on the floor. Holding the Ten remaining kits of the Hopps clan.

To the hand-paws of mammals he, and they thought were on their side.

---

End notes,

---

I admit Siambia could’ve used a bit more building up to this, but with the previous chapters

already posted, and not a fan of revision editing, I apologize. I kinda envision her as a gender bent

version of Simba, but unable to ‘lead’ because of the coin flip of being born female. Making her

vulnerable to the ideology as it promises what she desires.

I did a lot of research and yes this is more or less modus operandi of that kind of ideology. Drum

up what they call ‘useful idiots’ like May. Preaching milk and honey equity, subverting or flat out

demonizing the country’s traditions and values. Then the moment they’ve got power, they turn around

and murder them. Because they will get equity, equity in oppression, misery and poverty. Not the

utopia sold to them.

So the communist/socialist leader has the useful idiots killed least they help form a counter

revolution.